With the economy in its current state, it’s no secret that employees are facing a difficult situation today: each year their employers are likely to pass on some part of the health care benefit rate increase to them.
As an employee, this can be an emotional issue. During a time when economic hardships are common, having to pay more money for benefits can cause quite a bit of dissatisfaction.
But an employer can work to mitigate the negative effects of cost increases being passed on to employees. Requesting that employees complete benefit-focused surveys far in advance of anticipated renewal increases is one such effort. When the surveys are properly worded, employees will understand that the employer is not actually going to hand out all desired benefits – but they will feel like they have some say in the final outcome. This helps employees feel like they had some control over the process.
Additionally, an employer can mitigate the negative effect of high cost increases by effectively communicating with employees. This must be done sufficiently in advance of the open enrollment period so that employees fully understand the group benefit plans.
An employer can give employees options, allowing them to feel empowered. Rather than feeling like a decision has been passed down to them from above, employees will opt for their own best choice.
At Johnson & Dugan we work to make sure our clients have enough time to properly plan for open enrollment. This way, an organization can consider all of its viable options before crafting a communication strategy for its employees. Without enough time, this simply cannot be accomplished.
As dedicated strategic planning consultants, Johnson & Dugan stays in the huddle with the client throughout the year, working to ensure that there are no unpleasant surprises along the way.
